CGS Joins Higher Education Community in Sending Public Comments to State Department Regarding Visa Fees

On February 28, the higher education community submitted public comments to the U.S. State Department regarding a proposed rule to increase fees for nonimmigrant visas. The rule would increase fees for nonimmigrant visas (including F, M, and J) from $160 to $245 (an increase of 53%) and increase the J-1 Waiver fee from $120 to $510 (an increase of 325%). The higher education community stated in the letter, “While we understand the argument made by the State Department for raising these fees, we ask that this be done in a thoughtful manner and any additional resources be spent on improving efficiency and visa processing times for our international students and scholars.”